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State Denies Funding For Chrysalis Center Housing Development In Asylum Hill

Hartford Courant - 2/10/2018

Feb. 10--The state Department of Housing has denied funding Chrysalis Center for an affordable housing development in Hartford's Asylum Hill neighborhood that would have reserved some units for people with intellectual disabilities.

The project, called Clover Gardens, was opposed by the city and the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association.

In January, AHNA sent a letter to the state underscoring its opposition, asking the Department of Housing to "withhold any funding decision on this request until there has been a thorough review of the issues presented herein."

"We believe that Clover Gardens could in theory be a good project in the right location, but it certainly does not make sense for this neighborhood, given that Asylum Hill already supports numerous housing programs for low-income and other vulnerable households, including refugees, the elderly, the disabled and the chronically homeless," the letter states.

The social services organization's plan is to convert three large homes at 852, 846 and 834 Asylum Ave. and one at 1 Huntington St. into 34 units of affordable housing. Six units would be reserved for people with intellectual disabilities.

In a letter to Chrysalis, the state Department of Housing said the application was denied because Chrysalis did not obtain local zoning approval.

City officials said Friday that staff at Chrysalis never contacted the city's Planning and Economic Department about their plans for Clover Gardens.

And while zoning regulations do permit the project in that area of Asylum Hill, Chrysalis still needed to contact city staff. That lack of communication reportedly led, in part, to the rejection by the state.

A Chrysalis official said Friday that the organization is considering its options, including addressing deficiencies in the application and applying for state funds again.

Other options include renting the properties or selling them. At this point, Chrysalis is working with the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association to come up with an amicable solution, said Lynda Waldron, the executive assistant to Chrysalis CEO Sharon Castelli.

Chrysalis pays taxes on its properties, is vested in the city and wants to be a good neighbor, Waldron said.

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